The present invention relates generally to an interconnector and, more particularly, to an interconnector for connecting two electronic integrated circuit packages or the like having conductive pads on the sides thereof with a printed circuit board having conductive traces thereon.
Recently leadless integrated circuit packages have become more attractive for use on printed circuit boards due to high density and limited space requirements. The packages are of the type having conductive pads coated or deposited on a lower surface or along the sides. Low cost connectors are required to interconnect these packages to corresponding conductive traces on the printed circuit board.
A wide variety of connectors are available for such interconnecting. In the main, these assembles take the form of a housing containing rows of contact members each of which extend from a contact with a conductive pad on the package to a conductive trace on the printed circuit board. The form of the contact members correspond to whether the conductive pads are on the lower surface or on the sides of the packages. In any event, most of the current connector assemblies accept and interconnect a single package.
More recently, it has been necessary to increase the number of integrated circuit packages on a printed circuit board without increasing the area of the board. This requirement has lead workers in the field to stack packages one on top of the other. Whereas this approach solved the real estate problem, it introduced a host of other, more complicated problems. For example; height of the interconnector, strength of the contact members, the ability of the members to exert a high force against the pads on the packages without external help as well as a way to plug the interconnector onto a printed circuit board having a multitude of small conductive traces. Additionally, problems relating to housing strength, method of securing the packages in the housing, cooling the packages and so forth had to be met. Last but not least, an interconnector must be reliable, simple to use and economical to make.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an interconnector having a low horizontal and vertical profile which will interconnect two, stacked integrated circuit packages to a printed circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an interconnector wherein each contact member contains a dual set of contacts for engaging the conductive pads of two IC packages, one overlying the other.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an interconnector wherein the several contact members exert a high force against the conductive pads on the IC packages so that contacts with inexpensive non-noble plating may be used.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an interconnector having a high degree of reliability and is economical to manufacture.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an interconnector wherein the two contacts on each contact member are independently flexible.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an interconnector wherein the housing includes self-contained means for supporting and retaining the stacked IC packages.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an interconnector wherein the housing has open slots to permit the circulation of cooling air.
These and various additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following descriptions.